1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a transparent conductor.
2. Related Background Art
Transparent electrodes are used in LCD's, PDP's, organic EL panels, touch panels and so on, and transparent conductors are used as such transparent electrodes. Such a transparent conductor is formed from a substrate and a conductive layer, and among such transparent conductors there are ones in which a sputtered film (conductive layer) is deposited on the substrate, and ones in which a conductive layer comprising conductive particles and a binder is formed on the substrate. However, if such a transparent conductor is used under a high-humidity environment or in an atmosphere of a chemical substance such as an organic solvent or an organic gas (hereinafter sometimes referred to as “under a high-humidity environment or the like”), then moisture or the chemical substance will be gradually absorbed, and hence the electrical resistance of the transparent conductor will increase, and furthermore the change over time in this electrical resistance will tend to become greater.
If such a transparent conductor is used, for example, in a touch panel or the like and placed under such an environment, then there will thus be a risk of the operation of the touch panel or the like gradually becoming unstable.
A transparent conductor according to which increase in or change over time in the electrical resistance is suppressed is thus desired. For example, there has been proposed a light-transmitting conductive material using a phenoxy resin or a mixed resin of a phenoxy resin and an epoxy resin made to have low hygroscopicity, or polyvinylidene fluoride, as a resin for fixing conductive particles in place (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 08-78164, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 11-273874).